If your bistro has an outdoor space, it’s only right that you should make use of it through the warmer months. After all, your bistro’s garden area allows you to seat extra customers!
Although a wise investment, the decision to furnish an outdoor space often leave bistro owners stumped. What type of furniture do we need? Will it survive the rainy days? What kind of material should the furniture be?
Many choose their garden furniture based solely on price. This sn’t always the best option as there a lots of other factors to consider. For a worthwhile investment, your outdoor bistro area needs to be filled with the right type of furniture as well as be visually appealing and durable.
Here is your complete guide to choosing the right bistro garden furniture:
Choose the right material
When it comes to deciding on the right outdoor furniture material, choose wisely. There are a number of different materials available for your outdoor tables and chairs but which should you choose?
Metal is a good choice if you want to create a modern look. With metal, the furniture comes in a choice of shapes, sizes and finishes. Just make sure it’s weather resistant and treated to resist rust and weathering.
Synthetic rattan, wicker or resin weave are virtually maintenance free and have revolutionised the outdoor furniture market. The material comes in a vast choice of colours and is weather resistant.
Wood and the outdoors don’t really go together. Wooden tables and chairs outside require plenty of maintenance to keep looking good. If you like the look of wood but want furniture that won’t weather, rot and crack like real hardwood furniture, synthetic timber furniture offer the wood-look but requires little to no maintenance.
Metal is perhaps the most common choice, but synthetic wickers and wood-effect finishes are also durable and withstand the weather just as well.
Go bright
Colour is important when it comes to outdoor furniture as it helps draw interest to an area. Bright colours typically work best for bistros as they are seen as fun, welcoming and creative spaces. Choose a style and colour scheme that matches with your brand and bistro’s interior theme.
Be warned when it comes to white outdoor furniture, especially tops which can create glare in direct sunlight and make for an uncomfortable experience for your customers.
Make it enticing and inviting
The design and décor of your outdoor patio is equally as important as the interior design of your restaurant. If anything, it’s more important. It’s the first impression you will give to passers-by as they will see your outdoor garden area before they can see inside.
A bistro’s front area must be inviting to guests and more thought needs to go into the area than simply throwing together some cheap plastic furniture and hoping for the best. Customers will see through that, and there will be plenty of other establishments with better outdoor areas that will happily take their custom!
Stools
A great way of maximising the number of people you can service is by adding a ledge to your exterior wall on the patio. This way, you can line up a row of bar stools for lone visitors and when all of the tables are taken.
Having bar stools outside is a new take on outdoor furnishing. Traditional bar stools aren’t built for outdoor use but modern aluminium and steel stools can withstand the effects of heavy rain and bright sunshine, so they won’t get damaged easily.
The use of bar stools propped next to a shelf to eat or drink from will give your bistro a unique, social appearance to passers-by.
Easy storage
Unfortunately, in the UK we aren’t blessed with sunny weather all year round. That means during the colder months, you won’t have many customers opting for an outdoor seat!
So, what do you do with all that furniture through the winter period? We recommend that you select stackable outdoor furniture so that the tables and chairs can be easily stored away ready to be brought out again next summer.
Shade
For those sunny days (when they do come!), make sure that your patio is equipped with umbrellas to protect your customers from the heat. Some will want to enjoy the sunshine while most will prefer to eat and drink in the shade.
There are plenty of large umbrellas that can easily be set up and which don’t need to be fit into each table.
Buying bistro furniture
At Trent Furniture, we have indoor and outdoor furniture for bistros and cafés. Our range of chairs and tables are perfect for the cafe, bistro and catering industry. Take a look today, we’ve got many different styles and finishes to choose from.